Easter Week The Days Before Easter Sunday
Easter week is called the Passion Week. Passion Week is a name for the week beginning on Passion Sunday, as the Fifth Sunday of Lent was once called in the Roman Rite. Each day this week has its name. It is associated with some superstitions.
Palm Sunday is the last Sunday of Lent. According to the Bible in this day arrived, Jesus and his disciples into Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. The title of this Sunday is derived from flowers that resemble palm branches with flowers, by which people welcomed Jesus. On Palm Sunday was said that: It should be nothing to bake. The flowers on trees could be dry (“bake”) this year. It would be a bad harvest. Swallow 2-3 flowers from goat willow (in Czech „kočička“ - Pussy willow), it will not sore throat all year.
Habits on Palm Sunday: People gave consecrated flowers from goat willow on Holy Cross or the on picture elsewhere into the cellar. People swept their dwelling by the green branches.
Blue Monday and Yellow (gray) Tuesday Blue Monday is probably derived from a substance which is hung this day in the church. Previously, the churches were decorated with blue or purple cloth.
People swept the cottage in those days , and they symbolically swept winter from their souls.
Ash Wednesday On this day, people swept chimneys and housekeeper baked Judas. It was believed that who will frown this day, will frown throughout the year!
Children finish school on Ash Wednesday (in Czech Škaredá středa), which is a good idea because they need to spend some serious time on making Easter what it should be.
Green Thursday The name of this day comes from green food (mostly young chopped nettles, spinach, cabbage, sorrel and various herbs). Green food this day eaten ensures good health throughout the year. On this day the bells depart to Rome and resound on Holy Saturday again. In the evening of Green Thursday, every boy in the village equips himself with a wooden rattle, which is specially made for the purpose, the boys form a group and walk through the village, rattling their rattles vigorously, so the noise can be heard from afar. The meaning of the rattling is to chase away Judas. The same procedure repeats on Good Friday and one more time on White Saturday when the boys don't only walk through the village but stop at every house in the morning and rattle until they're given money, which they then split between themselves.
Good Friday - day commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. On this day, people observed a strict fast.
On this day, nothing should be borrowed, nor donated or sold. The borrowed thing could be enchanted (jinxed). Do not wash laundry on Good Friday! People should neither work in the field or sleep in the orchard. Recently Good Friday joined Easter Monday as an official national holiday in the Czech Republic.
Holy Saturday In Czech this day is called White Saturday. It is known as the “Day of Light”, symbolizing Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. It is also the last day where in some Czech regions keeping old traditions boys go around their villages and shake their wooden rattles (until they are given This day people bake Easter cakes. money).
On Holy Saturday people made the fire before the church before the night's service. The priest sanctified the fire. People took the burning coals home. Also they lit Easter candles with them in church.
Easter Sunday The Holy Week culminates with Easter Sunday, which is celebrated as the day of Resurrection of Jesus Christ. For Christians it is the most important holiday of the year. Worshipers attend Easter vigil at churches. For many Czech families it is also a day of preparations for Easter Monday. Girls paint, color and decorate eggs if they haven't done so already, and boys prepare their Easter whips (in Czech pomlazka) made from pussywillow twigs (6-12 twigs). In our family, decorating Easter eggs is a simple affair: dip some hardboiled eggs in water filled with boiled onion peels and then place store-bought Easter stickers on the eggs.
On Sunday people wore Easter cakes in the church. The priest sanctified they there. At home, they shared the sanctified dishes. It was customary to give everyone a treat who came to visit them.
POMLÁZKA Young, live pussywillow twigs are thought to bring health and youth to anyone who is whipped with them. An Easter pomlázka (from pomladit or "make younger") is a braided whip made from pussywillow twigs. It has been used for centuries by boys who go caroling on Easter Monday and symbolically whip girls on the legs. In the past, pomlázka was also used by the farmer's wife to whip the livestock and everyone in the household, including men and children. There would be no Czech Easter without the pomlázka. Boys used to make their own pomlázkas in the past. The more twigs, the more difficult it was to braid one. This skill is not widespread anymore and pomlázkas can be bought in stores and street stands
Easter Monday (Red Monday) is a day off, the day of the pomlรกzka. On Easter Monday boys go caroling and symbolically whip girls. People believe young willow twigs bring health and youth to any girl who is whipped. Boys whip girls lightly on the legs. An Easter carol, usually asking for an egg or two, would be recited by the boy while whipping. The girl would then reward the boy with a painted egg or candy. As the boys progressed through the village, their bags filled up with eggs.
This tradition is still broadly kept, especially in villages and small towns, although it may have lost its symbolism and is now performed mainly for fun. Also the reward has often changed - money and shots of plum brandy are often given instead of or in addition to painted eggs and candy. The origin of the pomlรกzka tradition (pomlรกzka meaning both the whip and the tradition itself) dates back to pagan times. Its original purpose and symbolic meaning is to chase away illness and bad spirits and to bring health and youth for the rest of the year to everyone who is whipped with the young pussywillow twigs.
Easter decorations include a bowl with sprout grain also. According to tradition, people sow a handful of grain to make sure that the grain will germinate and will be a good crop.